Summer of Changes

Today it is October 14th. The last time I made a post on this blog was exactly 6 months ago.

A lot has changed since I last posted in April. Back then, I had quit smoking for nearly two months when I slipped up several times. I then stopped for a while because my partner and I were going on a trip to San Francisco and I wasn't going to ruin the trip for us by smoking every chance I got when we were supposed to be enjoying ourselves. But when we came back, a few weeks past and in June, I started smoking again, pretty regularly. But also behind Liz's back (that sounds familiar). I guess that continued on and off again for a month or so. I was working and taking a summer class so I had a lot of opportunities to smoke without getting caught. The weird thing about it was that I wasn't hiding from anyone else. I was hiding only from Liz. Probably because she is the only one that calls me out on my shit and really cares about me and my health. And because I know how happy she is when I don't smoke.

Sometime in early July, I decided that I should be using my bike more and decided I would try to bike to work a couple times a week. Let me tell you, that first week was terrible. You see, my college (where I also work in a lab), is at the top of a very long, steep hill in Burlington, VT. My apartment is at the very bottom of that hill. So, as someone who was very out of shape and a smoker, biking up that hill was a nightmare. The silly thing is that I remember when I would get to campus, I would sit down and light up. How backwards is that?

My desire to bike more often stemmed from my desire to be more sustainable in my transportation mode. I was really tired of using my car to get everywhere, even places that I could easily walk (or bike) to. Though I love Big Blue (my loyal little Subaru), it was time to stop relying on him to get me places.

One day, as I was riding home from work, I decided I would stop at the neighborhood bike shop to invest in a pump for my bike. Doing so was like signing a contract. If I was going to commit towards taking good care of my bike, then I had to use it as often as possible. And to do that, I needed to quit smoking. On the way home from the bike shop, I tossed a nearly full pack of cigarettes into someone's recycling bin and never looked back.

From that point onward, things just kept getting better and better. I was biking to work nearly every day and biking up that hill was slowly getting easier and easier. I also started keeping track of my weight around the same time I quit smoking, which has been a blessing in disguise. Quitting smoking allowed me to bike more, which in turn allowed me to lose weight, which in turn inspired me to not smoke. It was a win-win situation all around.

(not my bike, but same model)

That was July 12th when I quit smoking. Three months later, here I am. Still not smoking and (currently) 16 pounds lighter. I could not be more happy with my body. For a long time, I treated it like shit. But now, I respect my body and am proud of the things it is capable of doing. I am a dedicated cyclist commuter (even though my commute is very short) and have truly fell in love with urban cycling. All that money I have saved from not buying $9 packs of cigarettes has allowed me to buy accessories for my bike that make it safe and easier to commute.

It's been a long ride, but  I am so happy I did it. And it's not over yet. I am so grateful to my girlfriend for supporting me through this time and constantly reminding me (not intentionally) of why I quit smoking in the first place.

I can finally . . .